“We are happy but we’re not happy. By that, I mean that the car is well balanced and I think the updates we have brought have helped with the driveability of the car. However, it’s obvious that we are still not where we want to be, because we are very quick down the straights, but we are losing too much time through the slower corners. The result of all that is that we are not in front and so we have to continue to work hard. Nevertheless, I think that having a well balanced car means we can have a good race, so I’m ready to give it my all tomorrow.”

Charles Leclerc #16

“It is not the qualifying result we hoped for. We have been working on finding the right balance, especially with the new parts we have in place. Unfortunately, we were still a bit off today. I went wide in Q2 and some parts were damaged when I went over the kerb. The team did a great job and tried to fix the car during the session to let me continue driving. After the incident, the balance was different and we have to check our data to make sure we get our car back in shape for the race tomorrow. Our competitors are strong, but we remain confident of our potential and will do our best to catch them.”

Mattia Binotto Team Principal

“It was a difficult qualifying session, as indeed has been the whole weekend so far. In Charles’ case, matters were further complicated when his car was damaged in Q2. We repaired it as best we could, but it still compromised his Q3 performance, as he had to attempt two timed laps on a single set of tyres. Having said that, this weekend has highlighted the weak points on our car. We will carry out all the necessary analysis, also after the race, to get a complete picture of where we are struggling. Days like this can show you how to improve and I am sure it will see us perform better tomorrow.”

“We are happy but we’re not happy. By that, I mean that the car is well balanced and I think the updates we have brought have helped with the driveability of the car. However, it’s obvious that we are still not where we want to be, because we are very quick down the straights, but we are losing too much time through the slower corners. The result of all that is that we are not in front and so we have to continue to work hard. Nevertheless, I think that having a well balanced car means we can have a good race, so I’m ready to give it my all tomorrow.”

Charles Leclerc #16

“It is not the qualifying result we hoped for. We have been working on finding the right balance, especially with the new parts we have in place. Unfortunately, we were still a bit off today. I went wide in Q2 and some parts were damaged when I went over the kerb. The team did a great job and tried to fix the car during the session to let me continue driving. After the incident, the balance was different and we have to check our data to make sure we get our car back in shape for the race tomorrow. Our competitors are strong, but we remain confident of our potential and will do our best to catch them.”

Mattia Binotto Team Principal

“It was a difficult qualifying session, as indeed has been the whole weekend so far. In Charles’ case, matters were further complicated when his car was damaged in Q2. We repaired it as best we could, but it still compromised his Q3 performance, as he had to attempt two timed laps on a single set of tyres. Having said that, this weekend has highlighted the weak points on our car. We will carry out all the necessary analysis, also after the race, to get a complete picture of where we are struggling. Days like this can show you how to improve and I am sure it will see us perform better tomorrow.”

Mattia saying, only this race showed the weakness of the car ...??
pre-season testing S3 was indicator, AUS GP was highlighter, Baku S2 was pin-pointer, Barcelona S3 was decider.

If Gasly gets his head out of his butt, RBR could catch up to Ferrari.....but RBR will most likely face grid penalties down the road. 2020 is gonna be a fight between RBR and Ferrari for a possible 2nd place but IF Ferrari cannot fight the Mercs in 2020 then I hope it's RBR.

Oh boy I am so glad that I wasn't able to watch Q due for being in Italy first to see Metallica on 8th in Milan and than again on 10th in Zurich. As I am flying back home tomorrow I won't be able also to watch another Mercedws 1-2.

Oh boy I am so glad that I wasn't able to watch Q due for being in Italy first to see Metallica on 8th in Milan and than again on 10th in Zurich. As I am flying back home tomorrow I won't be able also to watch another Mercedws 1-2.

I hope you are welcomed home by a different result. Believe in miracles it's where we are.

Everyone GOING IN on Ferrari should remember that they’re not only 8 tenths ahead of Ferrari, but of the ENTIRE FIELD. Hell, even the mighty Adrian Newey. Redbull are getting similar S3 times in Barcelona to us, and they’re usually the benchmark in the slow/twisty stuff. Merc is the outlier, not us.

I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I think it’s fair to say Mercedes has done something unique with their suspension. Something similar to fric, perhaps? They’re literally 6 tenths ahead of the field in a sector that is 25 seconds long. I usually laugh in people’s faces when they just assume Mercedes is cheating but... how is this possible? They clearly have a solution that no one else does at the moment or it just doesn’t add up. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds...

Everyone GOING IN on Ferrari should remember that they’re not only 8 tenths ahead of Ferrari, but of the ENTIRE FIELD. Hell, even the mighty Adrian Newey. Redbull are getting similar S3 times in Barcelona to us, and they’re usually the benchmark in the slow/twisty stuff. Merc is the outlier, not us.

I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I think it’s fair to say Mercedes has done something unique with their suspension. Something similar to fric, perhaps? They’re literally 6 tenths ahead of the field in a sector that is 25 seconds long. I usually laugh in people’s faces when they just assume Mercedes is cheating but... how is this possible? They clearly have a solution that no one else does at the moment or it just doesn’t add up. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds...

it's called 4WS like system mate.....not literally 4ws, but something that mimics that....maybe it's done by braking the rear right wheel just slightly going into a corner and carrying more speed then normal....and possibly this only gets activated when the steering wheel is turned left or right into corners....of course i'm only guesstimating here, but you's get my drift....

I'm hoping that the SF1000 proves to be a championship winning car, maybe even a BEAST!!!

it's called 4WS like system mate.....not literally 4ws, but something that mimics that....maybe it's done by braking the rear right wheel just slightly going into a corner and carrying more speed then normal....and possibly this only gets activated when the steering wheel is turned left or right into corners....of course i'm only guesstimating here, but you's get my drift....

When Ferrari finds something it's a "trick". Sky doesn't talk about what Mercedes has going on, no one does. When Ferrari is fast it's the talk of the town and their engine smells like grapefruit. I'm sick of it.

"When I watch a puppet show, I'm not watching the puppets...I'm trying to see who's pulling the strings."

When Ferrari finds something it's a "trick". Sky doesn't talk about what Mercedes has going on, no one does. When Ferrari is fast it's the talk of the town and their engine smells like grapefruit. I'm sick of it.

me too brotha, me too.....sick of all this mercedes bias.....the FIA or should i say MIA are in it too me thinks.

I'm hoping that the SF1000 proves to be a championship winning car, maybe even a BEAST!!!

Its cant believe that we cant cutch our pre-season time 1:16:221 C5 and now 1:16:272 seb time.It show that march till may we go down?. Engine upgrade ,aero and all of work on base bull******? Spent time to nothing?

Vettel's 2019 time - 1.16.272 which put him third on the grid will still put him third only on 2018 grid. Last year's Vettel P3 time - 1.16.305
A massive improvement of 0.033 over the course of 12 months.

Baring any mercedes interference the butler looks good to win title he is really performing.There is no chance in the world that Lewis would become a butler for bottas there would be a mercedes war first.

It seems to me that this race can be a nightmare for Ferrari. It is possible that even Red Bull will have much better race pace. Ferrari this year was always better during qualifying than during the race in terms of speed.
Race like Bahrain 2014 is coming.

Vettel's 2019 time - 1.16.272 which put him third on the grid will still put him third only on 2018 grid. Last year's Vettel P3 time - 1.16.305
A massive improvement of 0.033 over the course of 12 months.

Baring any mercedes interference the butler looks good to win title he is really performing.There is no chance in the world that Lewis would become a butler for bottas there would be a mercedes war first.

The #1, # 2 driver points is what WCC is all about. I don't see anyone Better than Bottas for the Merc winning driver combo. Lewis and Merc ,the team I believe are doing what they have to to keep Bottas happy and at home. If he wins this next race I will be very surprised. Poles are ok for Bottas, Lewis for sure has enough to keep him calm and happy. As far as wins go; I again say it; I will be in shock if Lewis doesn't feel enough is enough.

I really hope all races will be a Merc win, and all poles will be won by them. Then there will be a chance to really think about what went wrong with F1. It is just not possible that all the rest of the teams just went dumb. And dumber...